I "forgot" to pay for launch after parking on Atlantic early last year. As soon as I got my kayak back up to the car, the parking attendant was on it. Probably watching with binocs from the office. A $58 reminded to remember. I wrote the Coastal Commission SC office complaining that the then yearly increasing parking fees were in effect discouraging public access. It replied that they don't normally concern themselves with parking fees, but they had checked and there was a $6 launch only option. But the pay kiosk says nothing about it, and I haven't taken the effort to drive to the harbor office side a 6 am to see if I could find someone to buy a launch pass from. I still think my point was valid, but while I care, I don't care that much; it's a lot easier to load and unload in the lot, and I content myself with the belief that the harbor bears some liability if my car gets whacked when I've pay to park in their lot, though it might be another not-worth-it run-around collecting. Is there always an attendant on the office (East) side early in the a.m., or would I need to try to buy a $6 pass from the office the night before?

This was a lot easier before they put in the self-pay kiosks, as you could just pay the attendant when you landed. Good luck finding anybody to pay early. It seems that paying $6 may not be a realistic option after all...

It's been a while since I launched from the "A" or "F" dock, but I thought the $13 fee was for launch and parking. If you park on the street, it is and/or used to be cheaper (like $6 or $7, as I recall).

Not that I recommend it, but it has been known to happen that a person parks on the street, launches a kayak at the "A" dock and "forgets" to pay.

Interesting. Those look very similar to the Hobie/Lowrance connectors that keep giving me issues (sometimes it's corrosion, sometimes the pins pull out or get bent in a way that gives a bad connection).

Maybe I just need to buy a 5 pack and replace them periodically...

They do look kind of cheesy, but I've never had any trouble with pins breaking or corrosion, and I don't think I've used dielectric grease on them. I guess the rear hatch of my Hobie is pretty well protected.

The connectors on my Garmin FF have thin pins, and I've had issues with those, in spite of constant rinsing and dielectric grease.

I'm huge a fan of LiFePO4, as I've had one (7Ah) for a long, long time and it's withstood a ton of use and abuse. Not the Dakota brand, but it's the same thing.

I built a simple battery box that includes 2 power outlets (with fuses) and a port for a solar charger. The box cost a few dollars at Walmart and would be perfect if the metal rods in the hinges were stainless...